Monday Motivaion: No we NEVER have THAT argument...

We all have our issues.  

One of mine is organization. I LOVE being organized, having things tidy and in line.  I am terrible at this. : / This conundrum causes some stress but I'm getting better at dealing with it. I'm also getting better at trying to organize my life bit by bit instead of all at once. I still fail mightily, but ah well.

Okay, so combine my (i) desire for organization, (ii) my lack of (consistent) skills (and follow through!) in this area, and add (iii) the fact that there are a lot of details TO organize in a family of 7 and you get = stress and irritation sometimes.

Mark and I are pretty good partners in our marriage and family. We share the load on MANY MANY tasks and we have plenty that are typically "our" jobs. For example, Mark handles the vast majority of the cooking and grocery shopping.  I handle the bulk of our financial matters and managing the kids' schedules (making appointments, etc).  

Of course, it is so easy to feel like what I do is far more time consuming than what he does. (Never have this issue? Well, stop reading then!)

A couple of months ago, Mark ran across this app for our Android phones that has been a huge help! It's called "Do It Tomorrow".  It's extraordinary simple.  Basically, you just type in your "to do" items.  Once you "do" them, you click on it again, and it's crossed off. Any items that are not crossed off at the end of the day simply transfer to the next day automatically. Mark and I share an account which has been an enormous help in several ways:

1) It allows both of us to see some of those nagging little things that the other was handling. A subtle reminder that I don't do everything. ;)

2) It allows us to list things that need to be done, that could be done by either of us, and we can easily see if the other one has done it.

3) It allows us to put an item on that the other person needs to do but keeps forgetting about. 

Of course, it has its limits. I don't use it heavily for items that I consider just "my" to dos (like work deadlines).  But it has been a great asset for us to jointly manage our family obligations and to be aware of the other's contributions.

Yep, it works for me!